Having a sick child is scary, tiresome and requires sacrifice. As a new mom, I find few things more challenging than when my baby is sick. A sick child leads to sleepless nights and tears (from the eyes of babes and moms). Most of all, it is very difficult to see your sick baby cry, but not possess the ability to communicate the exact problem.

Recently, my child was sick. I knew she was in pain. She was crying constantly, and the thermometer’s readings were much too high. My child is too young to communicate well with words. Her cries left me to fill in the blanks. Does she need more medicine? Does she need water/food? Does she just need to be held? Left with nothing more than her shrieking cries, I had so many questions and felt helpless.

I think that children who are in play therapy sometimes feel this way. A child, especially a young child, does not always have the words to say how they are feeling or articulate the problems they may be experiencing. A 3-year-old may not have the cognitive ability to verbalize his or her feelings or previous trauma. Older children often can have a hard time finding words to describe exactly what they are feeling when their parents are getting a divorce or they are faced with other life-changing events.

Play therapy allows children to use their natural language of play. Children can use toys or art as their words. This form of therapy is based on the relationship between child and therapist. Once a trusting relationship is formed, the child can express himself or herself by using toys or other therapeutic means.

That 3-year-old may not be able to find the words to talk about the trauma, but he can play out a scene that shows a car wreck that he has been through. This allows the therapist to fill in the blanks, reflect the feelings and reflect the content that the child is communicating. An older child can create a rapport with the counselor and later make art about his/her changing world.

Like my child who could not communicate her exact feelings, children in play therapy may have the same issue. As a play therapist, I get the privilege of working with these wonderful clients. I get to be someone they can trust and lean on, and I can try to fill in those gaps by listening and seeing their stories in the playroom.